O'Hare Runway Rotation Plan

Fly Quiet Runway Rotation Program Restarting

The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to implement a second nighttime Fly Quiet runway rotation test at O'Hare International Airport.

The test, which began at the end of April 2017, will be in place for a total of 12 weeks and was requested by members of the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (ONCC) to continue studying the impacts of overnight noise in the region.

Following the completion of the first nighttime runway rotation test that was completed in December 2016, runway usage data and feedback from the FAA, air traffic controllers, airlines and ONCC communities and the public was used to refine the runway configurations that will be included in the second runway test. Additional information on the runway test and the 12-week schedule can be found on the Fly Quiet Test website.

Overview

The O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission voted in May 2016 to approve a weekly nighttime runway rotation plan for O'Hare International Airport. The Fly Quiet Runway Rotation Plan was developed by the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), in consultation with Suburban O'Hare Commission (SOC) aviation experts, and ran from July through December 2016. Federal rules prohibited the automatic renewal of the Fly Quiet Plan, so after the data was analyzed, a new program was designed for a second phase of the test.

The purpose of the Fly Quiet program is to establish a weekly runway rotation designed to achieve a more balanced distribution of noise exposure for Chicago and suburban communities near O'Hare Airport. Under the Fly Quiet Plan, runways used for nighttime air travel changed from week to week. The final report made to the Suburban O'Hare Commission is available on the JDA Aviation Technology Solutions site (PDF), and more information about the project is available on the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission website.